News

Missouri planting ahead of average

Even with last week’s cool and wet conditions, Missouri’s corn planting is just about wrapped up. Missouri Ag Director Richard Fordyce says most of his corn was planted in Northwest Missouri leading up to last week, “We’re not quite finished with corn. We had a really good run a couple of weeks ago, three weeks ago. I’d say we’re 80 to 85% done. We still have a few acres yet to plant.”

Ninety-six percent of the corn crop is planted, up 2% on the week but nearly 20% ahead of normal, and 85% has emerged. Thirty-one percent of soybeans are planted, ahead of the average, and 14% has emerged. Fordyce says soybean planting is in good shape, unlike last year when most Missouri farmers couldn’t get soybeans in because of wet weather, “It would be nice if we had four or five days. Four or five days we could really be on our way to being finished.”

Cotton planting in the Bootheel is ahead of last year at 91 percent complete.  And Fordyce says another crop in that region is WAY ahead, “We’ve got a lot of good friends that live in southeast Missouri that are all rice producers. I think they’re very pleased, as well, with the progress going on in that part of the state.” Rice planting is nearly finished at 93%, ahead of 45% on average.

Nearly 70% of the winter wheat crop is rated good to excellent and 50% of pastures and rangelands are in good to excellent shape, with another 44% called fair.